CONNECTICUT  n^ ,  I  (^  3 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION 

NEW  HAVEN,  CONN, 


BULLETIN.  163,  FEBRUARY,  1909. 


AGRICULTURAL  LIME 

Sources,  Composition  and    Prices.     With    Notes 
on  its  Action  in  the  Soil. 


By  E.    H.   Jenkins  and  E.    M.    East. 


The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  mailed  free  to  citizens  of  Con- 
necticut who  apply  for  them,  and  to  others  as  far  as  the  editions 
permit. 


CONNECTICOT  AGRICQLTORAL   EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


BOARD   OF   CONTROL. 

His  Excellency,  George  L.  Lilley,  Ex  officio,  President. 

Prof.  H.  W.  Conn,  Vice  President Middletown. 

Prof.   W.    H.    Brewer,   Secretary New  Haven. 

B.    W.    Collins Meriden. 

Charles    M.   Jarvis Berlin. 

Frank  H.   Stadtmueller Elmwood. 

J.  H.  Webb Hamden. 

E.  H.  Jenkins,  Director  and  Treasurer New  Haven. 


STATION    STAFF. 

Chemists. 

Analytical  Laboratory. 

John  P.  Street,  M.S.,  Chemist  in  Charge. 

E.  Monroe  Bailey,  M.S.  C.  A.  Brautlecht,  Ph.B. 

C.  B.  Morrison,  B.S.  Clarenck  W.  Rodman,  B.S. 

_  Laboratory  for  the  Study  of  Proteids. 
T.  B.  Osborne,  Ph.D.,  Chemist  in  Charge. 

Botanist. 
G.  P.   Clinton,  S.D. 

Entomologist. 
W.  E.  Britton,  Ph.D. 

Assistant  in  Entomology. 
B.  H.  Walden,  B.Agr. 

Forester. 
Austin  F.  Hawes,  M.F. 

Agronomist. 
Edward  M.  East,  Ph.D. 

Seed  Testing. 
Mary  H.  Jagger. 

Stenographers  and  Clerks. 

Miss  V.  E.  Cole. 

Miss  L.  M.  Brautlecht. 

Miss  E.  B.  Whittlesey. 

Miss  C.  A.  Botsford. 

In  charge  of  Buildings  and  Grounds. 
William  Veitch. 

Laboratory   Helper. 
Hugo  Lange. 

Sampling  Agent. 
V.  L.  Churchill,  New  Haven. 


THE  SOURCES  OF  AGRICULTURAL  LIME  FOR 
CONNECTICUT. 

Lime  for  our  farms  must  come,  for  the  most  part,  from  Con- 
necticut, or  from  its  bordering  states,  and  chiefly  from  quarries 
of  what  is  called  the  Stockbridge  limestone. 

"Stockbridge  Limestone"  is  the  name  given  in  Connecticut 
geology  to  a  formation  which  "is  found  in  more  or  less  parallel 
belts  which  extend  from  Vermont  to  Georgia." 

"In  Connecticut  all  the  exposures  of  any  importance  are 
in  the  western  and  northwestern  part  of  the  state.  A  wide 
belt  extends  from  Canaan  Valley  southwestward  to  Sharon 
and  underlies  a  large  portion  of  the  towns  of  North  Canaan, 
Canaan  and  Salisbury.  A  narrow  belt  extends  from  Corn- 
wall Bridge  to  Gaylordsville,  forming  the  valley  of  the 
Housatonic.  A  small  belt,  rarely  attaining  a  mile  in  width, 
extends  from  New  Preston  through  Marbledale,  Northdale, 
New  Milford,  Brookfield  and  Danbury  to  West  Redding.  In 
the  vicinity  of  Danbury  this  belt  widens  and  sends  an  arm  west- 
ward to  the  New  York  line.  An  area,  somewhat  detached  from 
the  main  belt,  occurs  at  Ridgefield,  and  a  number  of  small  lime- 
stone areas  are  found  in  other  parts  of  the  state,  as  at  Winsted, 
Robertsville,  East  Hartland,  Long  Hill  and  at  a  few  places 
east  of  the  Connecticut  River.  These  small  detached  areas  are 
identical  in  composition  with  the  main  masses  of  the  Stockbridge 
limestone."     (Manual  of  Geol.  of  Conn.,  pp.  87-88.) 

Small  amounts  of  an  impure  limestone  are  also  found  at  Bol- 
ton, in  Union,  Ashford,  Willington,  Woodstock,  Stafford  and 
other  parts  of  the  eastern  counties,  but  neither  the  quality  nor 
quantity  of  the  formation  makes  it  worth  considering  for  com- 
mercial use. 

The  western  border  of  the  state  is  practically  the  only  part  of 
it  from  which  agricultural  lime  can  be  got  in  quantity. 

The  Composition  of  Limestone. 

The  Stockbridge  limestone  is  carbonate  of  lime  (calcite),  con- 
taining more  or  less  carbonate  of  magnesia  (magnesite).    When 


4  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    1 63. 

the  two  carbonates  crystallize  tog"ether  in  the  proportion  of  i  to  i 
they  form  the  mineral  dolomite,  and  this  Stockbridge  formation 
ranges  from  a  dolomite  to  a  dolomitic  limestone  and  even  to  a 
pure  calcite. 

Table  I. — Composition  of 


1 

Dan 

jury. 

A 

B 

C 

D 

Lime - 

Magnesia 

Silica  and  Insoluble  .... 
Oxides   of    Iron   and 

Aluminum 

Carbonic  Acid 

■!        55-14 
0. 14 

I.IO 
O.I  I 

43-51* 

54-22 
0.35 
2.46 

0.28 
42.69* 

54.46 
0.60 

1.80 

0.15 
42.99* 

31.70 

20.25 

1.60 

0.28 
46.17* 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

*  By  difference. 

A  is  selected  white  limestone.  B,  bluish  limestone,  constituting  the 
larger  part  of  that  at  present  quarried.  C,  granular  limestone,  impossible  to 
burn  in  the  ordinar}'  kilns  because  it  falls  to  pieces  half  as  large  as  a  pea 
when  heated.     D,  pearl-colored  stone  from  a  small  vein  recognized  by  the 


It  has  no  fixed  composition  even  in  any  one  place  of  deposit, 
some  of  it  being  nearly  pure  carbonate  of  lime  and  much  more 
containing  magnesia  never  quite  equalling  the  lime  in  amount. 

The  analyses,  Table  I,  show  the  differences  of  composition 
which  are  common  in  this  formation  in  the  western  part  of 
Connecticut. 

These  analyses  show  that  the  lime  may  range  from  56  per 
cent. — a  pure  calcite — to  about  29  per  cent,  and  the  magnesia 
from  nothing  to  about  21}^  per  cent. 

Pure  dolomite  contains  30.4  per  cent,  of  lime  and  21.7  per  cent, 
of  magnesia. 

The  samples  A  to  D  were  taken  by  the  writer  at  the  works  of 
the  Stearns  Lime  Co.  of  Danbury,  and  indicate  that  most  of  the 
lime  in  sight  at  this  newly  opened  quarry  is  quite  pure  calcite, 
though  one  vein  represented  by  Sample  D,  has  the  usual  com- 
position of  Housatonic  or  Stockbridge  limestone.     Some  veins 


SOURCES  OF  AGRICULTURAL  LIME. 


of  nearly  pure  calcite  are  found  in  many  other  places  and  it 
is  extensively  worked  at  the  Adams  and  Cheshire  quarries  in 
Massachusetts  by  the  New  England  Lime  Co. 


Connecticut  Limestones. 


Canaan. 

East  Canaan. 

Lime 

Rock. 

Sharon. 

Housatonic 
Valley. 

E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

J 

K 

3O.4& 

31-31 

52.09 

27.7S 

36.03 

28.96 

56.02 

21.48 

21.01 

0.47 

16.63 

17-76 

18.54 

0.08 

0.48    ) 

\ 

4.II 

4.21 

4.00 

9.98 

0.15 

0.25 

0.20   ) 

47-73 

47.00 

t 

t 

t 

t 

43-83 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

f  Undetermined. 

eye  as  magnesian.  E,  analysis  from  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  1898-9,  pt.  6,  p. 
570.  Analyses  G  to  I,  from  Bulletin  6,  Geol.  and  Hist.  Survey  Conn.,  p.  8g. 
K  is  a  white  crystallized  limestone.  Anal3'ses  A,  B,  C,  D,  F,  J  and  K,  made 
at  this  station. 


Small  deposits  of  limestone  rock  occur  in  other  parts  of  the 
state  and  have  been  analyzed  at  this  station  with  the  following 
results : 

Table  II. 


North- 
Near                                          west  North 
Bolton                                             of  Stoning- 
Notch.                Lebanon.     Norwich.  ton.                 Durham. 


Lime    53.51        6.67      26.65      22.82      31.17      53.91       52.91 


Magnesia    

Oxides  of  iron  and 

aluminum    

Phosphoric  acid  . .  . 
Insoluble  in  acid  .  . 


0.54        0.98        0.92        0.60       17.80        0.63 


1.50 
0.07 
1-73 


5-71 

0.09 

80.26 


4.78 

0.09 

46.51 


7-56 

0.15 

32,24 


2.57 


4-39 


0.08 
1.84 


0.62 


0.12 

3-71 


Three  of  the  samples  are  too  impure  for  commercial  use. 
The  limestone  from  Durham  was  quarried  forty  years  ago  and 
is  of  excellent  quality  for  commercial  purposes,  as  is  one  from 
Bolton  Notch.  The  one  from  North  Stonington  might  also 
be  used.  It  is  not  likely  that  pa3dng  quantities  of  such  rock  can 
be  found  in  these  places. 


6  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    1 63. 

To  fit  them  for  agricultural  use  limestones  should  be  fine 
enough  to  pass  an  8o-mesh  sieve  and  the  finer  the  better.  No 
machinery  is  at  present  installed  in  Massachusetts  or  Connecticut 
to  grind  limestone.  At  the  West  it  is  stated  that  limestone  is 
ground  fine  for  agricultural  use  at  a  cost  of  $i.oo  per  ton.  These 
mills,  we  understand,  work  where  limestone  is  crushed  for  road- 
making  and  the  dust  is  a  by-product. 

The  New  England  Lime  Co.,  at  its  works  at  Adams,  IMass., 
can  furnish  two  grades  of  limestone  dust.  Both  are  practically 
pure  calcium  carbonate.  The  finer  grade  all  passes  silk  bolting 
cloth  having  130  meshes  to  the  inch.  The  coarser  grade  has  the 
following  mechanical  analysis  : — 

Finer  than  130  mesh 15.5  per  cent 

Between  63  and  130  mesh 45.8       " 

Between  ^^  inch  and  63  mesh 30.3       ' ' 

Coarser  than  5^  inch  8.4       ' ' 

The  company  states  that  the  two  grades  would  be  sold  together 
in  the  proportion  of  two  by  weight  of  the  finer  to  one  of  the 
coarser.  Mixed  in  that  proportion,  the  mechanical  analysis 
would  be : — 

Finer  than  130  mesh 71.8  per  cent 

Between  63  and  130  mesh 15.3       " 

Between  g^  inch  and  63  mesh 10.  i       " 

Coarser  than  ^  inch 2.8       ' ' 

Mills  for  grinding  feldspar,  a  harder  material  than  limestone, 
to  a  very  fine  powder,  are  operated  in  Glastonbury  and  at  works 
near  Middletown. 

Lime,  Quicklime  or  Stone  Lime. 
Calcium  is  a  metal  rarely  seen,  because  it  can  only  be  prepared 

Taui.e  III. — Analyses  of 


Adams,  Mass., 
New  Process. 

Glen  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Glcn  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Cheshire,  Mass. 

Lime 

98.13 
0.42 

1-45 

90.99 
1. 14 

7.87 

89. 56 
1.22 

9.22 

90.52 

4-27 
5.21 

Magnesia      

Other  matters  bj' 
difference 

100.00 

100.00 

lOO.OO 

100.00 

FORMS    OF    LIME.  7 

at  great  expense,  and  when  exposed  to  air  at  once  absorbs  oxygen, 
forming  calcium  oxide  or  lime,  which  is  familiar  to  us  in  a 
nearly  pure  state  in  certain   "stone  limes"   or   "quick  limes." 

Pure  carbonate  of  lime,  like  sample  K  in  Table  I,  contains 
56  parts  by  weight  in  100  (or  56  per  cent.)  of  lime  (calcium 
oxide),  and  44  parts  of  carbonic  acid.  When  roasted  in  the 
limekiln,  the  44  parts  of  carbonic  acid  are  expelled,  leaving  the 
56  parts  of  lime  free  or  uncombined,  as  "burned  lime,"  "stone 
lime"  or  "quick  lime."  Carbonate  of  magnesia,  if  present  in  the 
limestone,  is  decomposed  in  the  same  way,  leaving  magnesium 
oxide  or  magnesia  behind. 

The  composition  of  stone  lime  is  shown  in  Table  III  by 
analyses  made  at  this  station.  When  pure  limestone  is  used,  the 
product  seems  to  be  either  90  per  cent,  of  lime,  or  56  to  60  per 
cent,  of  lime  with  30  to  40  per  cent,  of  magnesia,  always  90 
per  cent,  or  more  of  the  two. 

With  one  exception  these  limes  are  in  lumps  and  can  not  be 
evenly  spread  on  land  without  grinding  or  slaking.  The  Adams 
lime,  which  is  burned  by  a  special  process  from  a  granular  rock, 
is  in  fine  granular  condition  and  could  be  spread  by  machine  or 
with  the  shovel  without  previous  slaking. 

Slaked  Lime  and  Air-Slaked  Lime. 

When  water  is  added  to  quick  lime  a  certain  definite  quantity 
combines  chemically  with  the  lime,  setting  free  much  heat  and 
forming  calcium  hydrate,  or  "slaked"  lime.  Fifty-six  pounds 
of  lime  will  yield  74  pounds  of  perfectly  dry  slaked  lime.  Such 
slaked  lime  contains  about  75.6  per  cent,  of  lime,  but  usually 
slaked  lime  also  contains  moisture  besides  the  chemically  com- 
bined water. 

Stone  Lime  or  Quick  Lime. 


Vermont. 

• 

Housatonic, 
av.  four  analyses. 

East  Canaan, 
Conn.  Lime  Co. 

Lee,  Mass. 

Western  Conn. 
av.  seven  analyses. 

59-90 

35-13 
4-97 

56.60 
38.62 

4-78 

55.86 
40.24 

3-90 

54-63 

37-83 

7-54 

52.12 
36.08 

ir.8o 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

8 


CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    163. 


Slaked  lime,  as  it  is  offered  Ijv  the  lime  companies,  is  much 
less  uniform  in  composition  than  limestone  or  quick  lime  because 
of  the  varying-  amount  of  moisture  in  it  and  because  it  is  often 
made  from  lime  which,  for  one  or  another  reason,  is  not  fit  for 
mason's  use.  It  may  contain  other  rock  than  limestone,  it  may 
be  off  color,  or  it  may  have  been  imperfectly  burned. 

The  following  analyses  show  the  composition  of  samples 
analyzed  by  us : 

Table  IV. — An.a.lyse3  of  Slaked  Lime,   "  Hydrated  Lime." 


-.  Adamant        N.  T.  LimeCo.jAverage   three 

f^''°'P  Stearns       piaster  Co.,    :      Hamburg,  analyses, 

Co.,  Danbury.      New  Haven.    |  N.J.  Housatomc 


Lime j  56.00      1 

Magnesia |        3.94      j 

Silica  and  insoluble    1  10.80  "1  j 

Oxides  of  iron  and  aluminum.  .|        1.20    | 

Moisture I        S.07    )- 

Combined  water  and  other         !  | 

matters  by  difference j  19.99  J 


38.27 
25.84 


55-89 


71.16  46.15 

'       32.70 


28.84 


100.00  100.00 


The  average  of  three  analyses  shows  a  lime  not  completely  slaked  but  con- 
taining still  some  quick  lime. 


Air-Slaked  Lime 

is  formed  when  quick  lime  is  exposed  for  a  considerable  time  to 
air  and  moisture.  This  lime  combines  with  both  carbonic  acid 
and  water  and  gradually  slakes,  while  more  or  less  of  it  changes 
to  carbonate,  the  state  in  which  it  was  previous  to  burning.  Its 
composition  depends  wholly  on  the  conditions  under  which  it  has 
been  stored,  ranging  from  that  of  slaked  lime  to  carbonate  of 
lime. 

The  following  analysis  represents  the  interior  of  a  pile  of  125 
tons  or  more  of  waste  lime  from  the  kilns,  thrown  in  a  pile  out  of 
doors.  The  sample  nvas  taken  by  C.  S.  Phelps  from  stock  of 
the  Connecticut  Lime  Co.,  at  East  Canaan.  The  interior  of  the 
pile  is  quite  dry. 


FORMS   OF    LIME.  9 

Air-Slaked  Lime. 

Silica  and  insoluble   4.42 

Oxides  of  iron  and  aluminum   i.ii 

Lime    45-82 

Magnesia    33-30 

Other  matters  iS-35 

100.00 

There  is  a  by-product  from  the  Adams  process  Hme,  pro- 
duced in  rather  small  amount,  which  is  in  excellent  mechanical 
condition,  being-  fine  enough  to  use  in  a  fertilizer  sower  and 
consisting  of  a  mixture  of  quick  lime  and  carbonate.  It  is  sold 
by  the  New  England  Lime  Co.  and  has  the  following  composition : 

Silica  and  insoluble   1.18 

Oxides  of  iron  and  aluminum  0.21 

Lime    59-98 

Magnesia    1.12 

Lime-Kiln  Ashes. 

This  is  the  material  taken  from  the  furnaces  which  heat  the 
lime-kilns,  and  is  a  mixture  of  ashes  from  the  fuel  with  fine  lime 
which  falls  into  them  from  the  kiln. 

The  average  of  ten  analyses,  made  at  the  Massachusetts 
Station  and  printed  in  the  i8th  Report  of  that  station,  p.  159, 
is  given  in  the  following  table,  with  average  analyses  of  the  New 
England  Lime  Co.'s  ashes  from  Canaan  and  also  from  New 
Milford.  The  Canaan  ashes  come  mostly  from  pine  or  soft  wood 
and  have  been  exposed  to  the  weather.  Those  from  New  Milford 
have  not  been  thus  exposed  and  are  more  largely  from  hard 
wood. 

Analyses  of  Lime-Kiln  Ashes. 


Moisture  

Potash,  water   soluble 

total    

Phosphoric  acid  

Lime    

Magnesia    

Insoluble  


10  Mass. 
Analyses. 

Canaan 
Ashes. 

New  Milford 
Ashes. 

11-35 

0.73 

2.29 

2.04 

I.II 

2.77 

0.78 

0.89 

1.07 

41.49 

35-32 

38.33 

1.30 

8.00 

10.80 

6.78 

lO  CONNECTICUT    EXTERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    163. 

Obviously  a  part  or  all  of  the  Massachusetts  samples  were  from 
kilns  in  which  limestone  was  burned  which  was  nearly  free  from 
magnesia. 

The  New  Milford  ashes  are  sold  for  about  $2.50  per  ton  more 
than  Canaan  ashes. 


THE    FIRMS    MAKING   LIME    IN    CONNECTICUT. 

The  following  list  includes  all  the  firms  which  we  have  been 
able  to  find.  The  New  England  Lime  Co.  also  owns  works  at 
a  number  of  points  in  Massachusetts. 

The  makers  of  lime  in  Connecticut  are  the  following : 

Name.  Office.  Works. 

Atlas  Lime  Co 132  Nassau  St.,  N.  Y.  City Bethel. 

Bethel  and  Redding  Lime  Co. .  .  16  East  ist  St.,  N.  Y.  City Bethel. 

Canfield  Lime  Co Canaan East  Canaan. 

Connecticut  Lime  Co Canaan East  Canaan. 

Connecticut  Western  Lime  Co. .  Canaan Canaan. 

New  England  Lime  Co Canaan East  Canaan. 

Stearns  Lime  Co.    Danbury Brookfield. 

Arthur  J.  Todd West  Redding Redding. 


FREIGHT  RATES  ON  LIME  IN  CAR  LOTS  OF  U  TONS 
OR  MORE,  GIVEN  IN  CENTS  PER  100  POUNDS. 

These  rates  do  not  apply  to  lime  in  bulk.  In  general,  bulk 
rates  are  the  same  but  to  certain  points  are  lower.  Forty-eight 
hours  allowed  for  unloading;  $i.oo  per  day  or  fraction  thereof, 
per  car,  demurrage,  for  any  further  delay. 

The  general  statements  here  given  are  substantially  correct  at 
the  time  of  writing  but  subject  to  change.  The  exact  rate  should 
be  learned  from  the  shipper  or  local  agent. 

Nezv  York  Division  (all  points  between  the  New  York  line  and 
New  Haven,  also  points  on  Danbury  and  Norwalk  branch 
and  New  Canaan  branch). 
From  Canaan  and  Mass.  kilns,  7. 

From  Neiv  Milford  aiid  kilns  sontli  of  it  to  points  between 
New   York   line    and    South    Norwalk,    6^4* ;     to    South    Nor- 

*  Less   from  Redding  to  a  few  points. 


FREIGHT   RATES.  •  II 

walk  and  most  points  on  Danbury  and  Norwalk  branch  and  to 
points  as  far  as  New  Haven,  5^.* 

Shore  Line  Division. 

From  Mass.  and  Conn,  kilns  to  stations  between  East  Haven 
and  Waterford,  7. 

From  Mass.,  Canaan  and  Neiv  Milford  kilns  to  New  London 
and  points  on  New  London  Northern,  7^. 

From  Brookfield,  Bethel  and  Redding  kilns  to  New  London, 
7;   and  to  points  on  New  London  Northern,  7^. 

From  Mass.  and  Conn,  kilns  to  points  between  New  London 
and  R.  L  line,  81^. 

Hartford  Division. 

From  Mass.  and  Conn,  kilns  to  all  points  on  this  division  north 
of  New  Haven,  7. 

Air  Line  Division. 

From  Mass.  and  Conn,  kilns  to  all  points  between  New  Haven 
and  Portland,  7 ;    to  points  between  Cobalt  and  Chestnut  Hill, 

7/2. 

Northampton  Division. 

From  kilns  at  New  Milford  and  North  of  it  to  points  between 
New  Haven  and  Plainville,  7. 

From  Brookfield  and  Bethel  kilns  to  same  points,  6^. 

From  all  kilns  to  points  between  Plainville  and  Mass.  line,  7^. 

Naugatuck  Division. 

To  Ansonia  from  kilns  north  of  New  Milford,  7;  from  New 
Milford  and  kilns  south  of  it,  5^^. 

From  Mass.  and  Conn,  kilns  to  points  between  Seymour  and 
Union  City  and  points  between  Waterville  and  Torrington,  7. 

From,  Mass.  and  Conn,  kilns  to  Burrville  and  Winsted,  7^. 

From  New  Milford,  Canaan  and  Mass.  kilns  to  Waterbury,  7. 
From  kilns  south  of  Netv  Milford  to  Waterbury,  6^. 


*  Considerably  less  to  some  points  on  D.  &  So.  Norwalk  branch. 


12  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    163. 

Berkshire  Division. 

Rates  are  very  various  because  of  the  nearness  of  certain  kilns. 
In  general,  rates  from  Canaan  and  Mass.  kilns  to  points  between 
Tyler  City  and  Brookfield  Junction  and  on  the  Shepaug  branch, 
7,  From  New  Mil  ford  and  other  Conn,  kilns  to  same  points, 
from  2>^  to  7.    For  other  stations  see  local  tariff  schedules. 

Highland  Division. 

From  Mass.,  Canaan  and  New  Milford  kilns  to  points  between 
Sandy  Hook  and  East  Hartford  and  to  points  on  the  Springfield 
branch,  7  (but  to  Mill  Plain  from  New  Milford,  5>^). 

From  kilns  south  of  New  Milford  to  Hartford,  6^  (but  to 
Mill  Plain,  5>^),  to  points  on  Springfield  branch,  7. 

From  Mass.  and  Canaan  kilns  to  points  from  Burnside  to 
Hop  River,  7^ ;  from  kilns  south  of  Canaan,  7. 

THE  AVERAGE  COST  OF  LIME. 

The  following  statements  give  only  a  general  indication  of 
the  relative  cost  of  lime  in  its  different  forms.  Of  course  before 
ordering,  an  exact  quotation  should  be  obtained,  with  the  freight 
charge  in  force  at  the  time.  The  time  of  payment  will  also  affect 
the  price  and  in  general  cash  payment  must  be  made. 

The  Average  Cost  of  Lime  and  Magnesia  in  Form  of 
Stone  Lime  and  in  Car  Lots. 

In  this  calculation  magnesia  is  reckoned  as  having  the  same 
agricultural  and  trade  value  as  lime. 

Stone  lime  free  from  magnesia  may  be  bought  of  the  New 
England  Lime  Co.  for  about  $7.25  in  barrels,  with  an  average 
freight  rate  of  $1.40,  making  the  cost  delivered  $8. 65,.  or  48 
cents  per  100  pounds  of  actual  lime. 

The  Stearns  Lime  Co.  offer  quite  a  pure  calcite  lime  for  $6.00 
in  bags  and  about  $8.10  in  barrels,  making  $9.30  delivered,  and 
the  cost  of  actual  lime  49  cents  per  100  pounds.  Twenty-five 
cents  per  ton  extra  is  charged  for  fine  lime. 

The  New  England  Lime  Co.  also  have  Adams  New  Process 
Lime,  very  pure  lime  (98  per  cent.,  see  analysis,  page  6)  which, 
unlike  those   mentioned   above,    is   fine   granular    (see   page   7). 


COST    OF    LIME.  1 3 

This  costs  $6.50  in  bulk,  or  $8.50  in  barrels  and  $9.90  delivered, 
or  51  cents  per  100  pounds  for  pure  lime,  ready  to  spread  on  the 
field. 

The  Adams  process  fine  lime  described  on  page  9  is  a  mixture 
of  quick  lime  and  carbonate  and  could  be  bought  for  about  $3.00 
per  ton,  bagging  $1.50,  freight  about  $1.50,  making  total  cost 
delivered  $6.00,  and  the  cost  of  lime  49  cents  per  100  pounds. 
This  is  in  a  form  which  can  be  immediately  spread  on  the  land. 

Stone  lime  shipped  in  bags  instead  of  barrels  would  cost  about 
60  cents  less  per  ton,  equivalent  to  about  3  cents  less  per  100 
pounds  of  pure  lime. 

Stone  lime  containing  magnesia  costs  about  $5.00  per  ton  in 
bulk  on  cars  at  the  kilns.  In  barrels  it  costs  $7.10.  The  freight 
to  most  Connecticut  points  from  Conn,  kilns  ranges  from  5^  to 
75^  cents  for  100  pounds  and  for  all  our  calculations  we  assume 
the  average  of  6^,  of  $1.25  per  ton,  making  the  average  cost, 
delivered,  $8.35  per  ton  in  barrels.  Reckoning  on  90  per  cent, 
of  pure  lime  and  magnesia  in  the  goods,  they  cost  the  buyer  44 
cents  per  100  pounds. 

Occasionally  lime  companies  have  a  quick  lime  which  proves 
tobeunsuited  for  building  purposes.  Thus  the  Connecticut  Lime 
Co.  offers  lime,  the  analysis  of  which  is  given  on  page  9,  at 
$3.50  in  bulk,  $5.00  in  sacks  or  $4.00  in  buyer's  sacks.  This 
would  be  about  $6.25  in  sacks  delivered,  and  actual  lime  and 
magnesia  would  cost  about  33  cents  per  100  pounds. 

The  Average  Cost  of  Lime  and  Magnesia  in  Form  of 
Water- Slaked  or  Air-Slaked  Lime. 

This  is  more  uncertain  and  various  because  it  is  usually  made 
from  burned  lime  that  is  off  grade  by  reason  of  color,  faults  in 
burning,  etc. 

Thus  the  Stearns  Lime  Co.  offer  water-slaked  lime  at  $5^5©- 
in  bulk,  $7."5(>  in  bags.  Adding  average  freight  $1.25,  the  cost 
delivered  is  $ct^^  and  the  cost  of  100  pounds  of  pure  lime  and 
magnesia  (as  by  analysis,  page  8)  -7^3-cents  per  100  pounds. 

The  New  Jersey  Lime  Co.  offer  N.  J.  slaked  lime  at  $5.00, 
bags  about  $1.50,  freight  about  $2.80,  making  $9.30  delivered,  and 
cost  of  actual  lime  (see  analyses,  page  8)  65  cents  per  100 
pounds. 


14  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    163. 

Housatonic  lime,  slaked  (see  analysis),  has  been  offered  at 
$4.50  per  ton,  bagged  $6.00,  delivered  $7.25,  making  the  cost 
of  actual  lime  46  cents  per  100  pounds. 

The  air-slaked  lime  of  the  Connecticut  Lime  Co.,  described  on 
page  9,  can  be  bought  for  about  $7.50  per  ton  delivered,  making 
the  actual  cost  of  lime  41  cents  per  100  pounds. 

The  Average  Cost  of  Lime  in  Lime-Kiln  Ashes. 

The  calculation  is  uncertain,  depending  on  the  allowance  made 
for  potash.  For  correcting  acidity  in  the  soil  it  is  as  valuable  as 
lime  or  magnesia  and  has  added  value  as  a  fertilizer.  In  most 
cases  it  will  not  have  a  higher  agricultural  value  than  muriate 
of  potash  and  we  therefore  allow  4.%  cents  per  pound  for  it. 

Canaan  ashes  average  43  per  cent,  of  lime  and  magnesia  and 
0.73  per  cent,  of  water-soluble  potash.  At  $4.50  per  ton  at  the 
works,  or  about  $5.75  delivered  in  hulk,  and  allowing  62  cents 
for  the  potash,  actual  lime  and  magnesia  costs  about  59  cents 
per  100  pounds. 

New  Milford  ashes  cost  about  $8.55  delivered,  and  calculated 
as  above,  actual  lime  and  magnesia  costs  Gy  cents  per  100  pounds. 

The  above  list  includes  the  sources  of  lime  within  the  state 
or  just  beyond  our  borders.  There  is  only  one  lime-kiln,  as  far 
as  our  information  goes,  in  Rhode  Island,  owned  by  Herbert 
Harris,  Lime  Rock,  R.  I.,  who  produces  a  lime  similar  to  the 
Canaan  output. 

The  Rockland-Rockport  Lime  Co.,  of  Rockland,  j\Ie..  with  an 
office  at  24  Milk  street,  Boston,  have  sold  considerable  lime  in 
this  state  and  offer  R.  R.  Agricultural  Lime,  Pine  Cone  Hydrated 
Lime,  stone  lime  and  ground  limestone,  all  from  rock  averaging 
98  per  cent,  carbonate  of  lime.  We  have  analyzed  only  the 
R.  R.  Agricultural  lime,  which  contained  62.62  per  cent  of  lime 
and  0.86  of  magnesia.  It  is  a  partly  slaked  lime,  containing 
some  carbonate  from  "cores"  which  were  not  sufficiently 
burned,  the  whole  ground  to  a  fine  powder.  Quotations  on  car 
lots  can  be  got  from  the  Boston  office. 

The  Hamburg  Lime  Co.,  Hamburg,  N.  J.,  offer  a  fresh  burned 
lime,  unslaked,  stated  to  run  96  per  cent,  of  lime,  for  $3.50  per 
ton  in  bulk,  in  car  lots,  made  from  a  granular  limestone,  prob- 
ably like  C  described  on  page  4.     It  is   easy  to  handle,  being 


COST    OF    LIME.  1 5 

in  small  pieces  for  the  most  part.  Probably  $2.00  would  need  to 
be  added  for  barrels  and  $2.60  to  $2.80  for  freight,  making  the 
cost  about  43  cents  per  100  pounds  of  actual  lime. 

Marl. 

This  material  is  a  soft,  fine  carbonate  of  lime,  coming  from 
disintegrated  shells.  It  is  a  very  desirable  form  for  agricultural 
use. 

The  Caledonia  Marl  and  Lime  Co.,  Caledonia,  N.  Y.,  have 
offered  it  at  $3.00  per  ton  in  paper  sacks,  in  car  lots,  f.o.b. 
Probably  the  freight  charge  to  Central  Connecticut  points  would 
be  from  $2.25  to  $3.00  per  ton.  It  has  been  retailed  here  for 
$7.00. 

Two  analyses  made  last  year  at  this  station  showed  48.35  and 
46.60  per  cent,  of  lime  respectively,  making  the  cost  of  actual 
lime  about  6^  cents  per  100  pounds. 

Wood  Ashes. 

For  discussion  of  wood  ashes  and  the  cost  of  lime  in  them  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  Report  of  this  station  for  1907-08,  p. 
562. 

Summary. 

It  thus  appears  that  at  present,  lime,  or  lime  magnesia,  can  be 
delivered  on  the  farm  for  from  33  to  44  cents  per  100  pounds 
in  form  of  magnesia  lime,  from  47  to  51  cents  in  forms  moder- 
ately free  from  magnesia,  for  41  to  73  cents  in  forms  of  slaked 
lime  and  magnesia,  for  59  to  67  cents  in  lime-kiln  ashes,  and  for 
6;^  cents  in  form  of  marl. 

COST  OF  HANDLING  LIME  ON  THE  FARM. 

The  foregoing  figures  show  the  cost  of  several  sorts  of  lime 
at  the  local  freight  station.  Some  of  them  may  be  spread  on  the 
field  directly,  either  from  the  cart  with  a  shovel  or  from  the 
fertilizer  spreader. 

Quick  lime,  or  stone  lime,  however,  unless  it  is  fine  ground, 
requires  more  handling,  which  adds  to  its  cost.  It  must  be  slaked 
to  pulverize  it  for  spreading.  Two  ways  are  practiced.  It  may 
be  dropped  in  heaps  of  one  to  three  bushels,  at  regular  intervals 


1 6  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    1 63. 

over  the  field,  and  each  heap  covered  two  or  three  inches  deep 
with  moist  earth.  The  lime  takes  from  the  earth  the  water  it 
needs  to  slake  it  and  will  soon  fall  to  a  fine  powder  and  should 
then  be  spread. 

It  is  recommended,  however,  where  several  tons  are  to  be 
slaked,  to  lay  down  say  one  quarter  of  it,  sprinkle  on  water  at 
the  rate  of  2  to  2^^  pails  for  each  barrel  of  lime,  then  immediately 
empty  the  rest  of  the  lime  on  top,  adding  water  in  the  proportion 
just  given,  and  cover  the  top  and  sides  with  fresh  earth  as  soon 
as  may  be.    When  slaked  it  must  be  loaded  and  spread. 

In  considering  the  relative  cost  of  lime  in  different  forms  the 
operation  of  slaking  must  be  reckoned  with. 

It  should  also  be  remembered,  that  both  quick  and  slaked  lime 
are  very  caustic  and  the  dust  of  them  attacks  the  skin  of  the 
hands  and  face,  especially  when  moist,  and  is  very  irritating  to 
the  membranes  of  the  nose,  throat  and  lungs,  so  that  it  is  not 
possible  to  handle  them  comfortably.  The  dust  of  carbonate 
of  lime  has  no  such  corrosive  action,  only  causing  the  same 
irritation  as  any  other  mineral  dust. 

In  what  has  been  written  we  have  called  attention  to  the 
sources  of  agricultural  lime  which  were  nearest  to  the  farms  of 
this  State  and  to  their  composition  and  relative  prices.  Pros- 
pective buyers  should  of  course  get  quotations  and  freight  rates 
direct  from  the  manufacturers  and  then  calculate  the  cost  of 
actual  lime  and  magnesia  ready  to  apply  to  the  land. 

CHEMICAL  EFFECTS  OF  LIME. 

The  element  calcium  is  a  necessary  constituent  of  plants ;  but 
as  almost  all  soils  contain  it  in  sufficient  amounts  for  their  needs, 
the  action  of  lime  is  not  like  that  of  a  direct  fertilizer.  Indirectly, 
however,  it  is  an  agent  by  which  insoluble  potash  is  changed  to 
a  form  available  as  plant  food.  For  this  very  reason  it  must 
not  be  made  to  take  the  place  of  potash  fertilizer,  unless  it  is 
absolutely  certain  that  large  quantities  of  insoluble  potash  are 
present  in  the  soil  under  consideration.  Otherwise,  the  time 
when  the  soil  will  be  depleted  of  potash  is  simply  hastened. 
Whether  the  addition  of  lime  affects  the  solubility  of  soil  phos- 
phates is  undecided.  Any  chemical  action  on  these  compounds 
must,  at  least,  be  slight. 


CHEMICAL   AND   PHYSICAL   EFFECTS    OF    LIME,  1 7 

The  other  important  chemical  action  of  lime  is  to  correct  soil 
acidity.  This  lies  largely  in  its  effect  on  low  forms  of  plant 
life. 

Neither  of  these  reactions  is  affected  by  the  form  of  lime  used. 
Soil,  air  and  water  contain  much  carbonic  acid,  which  quickly 
acts  on  burned  lime,  on  water-slaked  lime,  and  converts  it  back 
into  a  calcium  carbonate,  the  form  in  which  it  existed  before 
burning.  The  kind  of  lime  to  be  used  thus  depends  almost 
entirely  on  the  cheapness  of  the  brand  when  figured  to  burned 
lime  or  calcium  oxide,  and  on  the  ease  with  which  it  can  be 
handled  from  the  car  to  the  field.  The  only  time  when  the  use 
of  burned  lime  is  inadvisable  is  when  large  quantities  (2,000- 
3,000  pounds)  are  necessary  to  correct  the  acidity  and  the  appli- 
cation is  to  be  made  in  the  spring.  It  takes  some  time  for  such 
quantities  as  these  to  be  changed  to  calcium  carbonate,  and  in 
the  meantime  the  caustic  lime  is  burning  out  the  humus  in  the 
soil.  If  large  amounts  of  quick  lime  are  to  be  applied  to  the 
soil,  it  should  be  spread  in  the  early  winter  and  worked  into  the 
soil  in  the  spring. 

PHYSICAL  EFFECTS  OF  LIME. 

Lime  has  a  further  effect  upon  soils  which  may  be  partly  a 
chemical  action  but  which  is  in  the  main  an  eft'ect  upon  their 
mechanical  character.  Clay  soils  are  probably  the  most  benefited, 
for  it  greatly  increases  their  porosity.  The  movement  of  water, 
both  upward  and  in  drainage,  is  thereby  facilitated.  A  possible 
injury  may  result,  however,  if  clay  soils  are  limed  too  much 
or  too  frequently,  through  its  cementing  action,  analogous  to 
that  when  used  in  mortar. 

Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  light  soils  are  also  benefited,  for 
lime  increases  both  their  water  holding  capacities  and  their 
capillarity. 

EFFECTS  OF  LIME  ON  LOWER  ORGANISMS. 

The  most  important  effect  of  liming  Connecticut  soils  is  the 
correction  of  soil  acidity.  The  decomposition  of  organic 
materials,  as  well  as  the  use  of  acid  phosphates  and  other  agri- 
cultural chemicals,  tends  to  make  soils  acid.  If  we  may  reason 
from  determinations  made  in  Rhode  Island,  some  of  the  soils 


l8  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    163. 

of  this  State  need  nearly  two  tons  of  lime  to  the  acre  to  correct 
this  acidity.  Even  those  soils  which  overlie  beds  of  limestone 
are  often  acid  in  the  first  foot  of  surface  soil.  The  main  reason 
for  wishing  to  neutralize  this  acid  is  to  give  a  better  environ- 
ment to  the  bacteria  which  work  in  the  soil.  We  are  dependent 
upon  different  forms  of  bacteria  to  decompose  organic  matter, 
and  in  this  decomposition  acids  are  produced  which,  as  they 
increase  gradually,  kill  ofif  the  little  workers  and  put  an  end 
to  their  work.  Furthermore,  we  must  depend  entirely  upon 
bacteria  if  we  intend  to  make  use  of  the  great  quantities  of 
nitrogen  present  in  the  air.  Certain  of  them  are  able  to  live 
in  connection  with  the  roots  of  legumes,  such  as  clover,  alfalfa, 
beans,  peas  and  lupines,  to  take  nitrogen  from  the  air  and  to 
change  it  to  a  form  that  is  available  to  plants.  These  bacteria 
can  live  and  do  their  work  best  in  soil  that  is  very  slightly 
alkaline.     Lime  furnishes  this  alkalinity. 

After  the  original  acidity  is  corrected,  an  application  of  200 
to  400  pounds,  once  in  three  or  four  years,  will  keep  the  soil 
sweet,  but  a  fairly  heavy  initial  application  is  needed  on  most 
Connecticut  soils. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  growth  of  fungous  diseases,  such 
as  potato  scab,  is  also  promoted  by  liming,  for  they  develop 
best  in  an  environment  similar  to  that  needed  by  bacteria.  This 
fact  cannot  be  changed,  but  it  is  well  to  avoid  liming  just  before 
planting  a  crop  like  potatoes,  whose  value  depends  largely  upon 
its  appearance. 


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